A Bad Case of Cruelty

Hertfordshire Mercury, 19th June, 1915

Transcript

At Cheshunt Petty Sessions George Cole, of Blindman’s Lane, Cheshunt, was summoned for causing unnecessary suffering to a horse by permitting it to walk whilst in an unfit state at Cheshunt. 

Sergt. Caunter said that at 12.30 p.m. on June 2, he went to Cheshunt Marsh and there saw a bay gelding walking extremely lame on the near foreleg.  The animal was about 6 years of age, in a fair bodily condition, but it was very lame from a bad diseased bone in the foot which caused it to walk on the fetlock joint.  He afterwards saw the defendant and asked what he intended doing about the animal.  Cole replied: ‘I was chancing my luck on him.  I thought at first he would get better, but when I saw him last Sunday I saw there was no hope and I thought I would try and get some meat on him and sell him to the ‘knacker’.  I knew it was only a ‘knacker’, and I gave the Co-operative people ‘knacker’ price for him.’  The horse was killed by the horse-slaughterer the following morning.  Cole said that when he bought the horse he understood that if he gave it a long rest it would be able to do some work.

Sergt. Caunter said the horse had been knocking about in that state for twelve months .  It was put on the Marsh on March 18 last.  The defendant bought the animal eight or nine months ago, and it had to be moved from the Co-operative Stores to the defendant’s address in a float because it was so bad that it could not walk.

The Bench imposed a fine of £2 or 25 days.

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